Of Sun and Sea
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: Mermaids, princesses, and magic, oh my! Prince Adrien may be "in over his head" when his arranged marriage plans go slightly askew. (Mermaid, royalty, and fake-dating AU)
1. Chapter 1

_(AU YEAH AUgust - 11 - Mermaid. Spot the Disney reference! I don't own them either!)_

* * *

 **Of Sun and Sea **

**Part One**

Adrien plastered a fake smile on his face as he stared through his spyglass.

"Land, ho!" one of the men had called out a moment ago. Never had anything felt more like a death sentence.

So, this was it. His destiny was now in sight. Shut up in some stupid castle, with some stupid princess, and doomed to live out the rest of his life catering to her whims. _Yay, him._

He sighed and lowered the handheld telescope. No escaping it now. Even if he could swim (which he couldn't), and was brave enough to jump overboard (he wasn't), these waters were reportedly home to _mermaids_.

They'd drag him down to the depths and feast on his flesh.

Adrien grimaced. _Eww, what a thought._

No, at least with a spoiled little princess he had a chance. His father had drilled gentlemanly behavior into his brain since childhood, so he should be able to make her happy. He hoped.

A lot was riding on this marriage, or so his father had said. It was his job to make her happy. Forge a strong alliance. Then maybe the rich king would see fit to help his poor, poor in-laws—

"Welp, there she be, my royal pain in the neck. Your future kingdom."

Adrien frowned and turned to face the ship's captain. He'd tried to be nice to this man, he really had. He'd been polite, and hadn't asked for any extras that his father would've insisted were his right by rank. Still, for some reason, this man hated him.

Adrien paled when he saw the captain was accompanied by several of his biggest men. The captain's grin grew.

"O' course, I wasn't talkin' 'bout the land, me laddie. This bay'll do quite nicely. Chien here says you told him you couldn't swim."

Adrien's eyes sought out the tall sailor named Kim Chien. _He'd thought they were friends!_ Kim didn't meet his eyes, looking ashamed of himself.

"Gentlemen," he said shakily, "there's no need to do this. I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement…."

"Aye," the captain said, pondering. "I think the agreement'll be that we keep all your things—and you go overboard!"

He pulled out his sword and brandished it in Adrien's direction. Instinctively, Adrien shied away from it, his back hitting the railing of the ship. It took the captain's men two seconds to grab his legs and lift him over the railing.

Adrien screamed as the water rushed up to meet him.

* * *

Marinette was having a good day. The sun was bright, the tide was in, the dolphins were feeling playful and were willing to race her from one end of the bay to the other, and— _hey, look! A ship! How exciting!_

She swam over for a closer look, careful not to get too close to the surface. The last thing she wanted was to be seen and hunted down for her scales. _Ugh, humans._

 _So barbaric._

Suddenly, a large object fell into the water right beside her. Marinette cried out in alarm and fled. _They'd seen her! They'd seen her! She'd never see Mama or Papa ever again and they'd never know what'd happened to her—wait, was that a body?_

She turned back, her curiosity getting the best of her. _Not just a body! A LIVE body!_ It was thrashing around desperately, but— _yeah, there was no way it was getting back to the surface like that._

 _Should she go help?_

 _It might be a trick to get her scales!_

 _She'd go over to help him and he'd grab her and never let her go and then they'd put her on a hook like a prize catch!_

His thrashing was getting slower… she swam closer.

"Bye, bye, me royal pain!" she heard a voice shout above them. "Enjoy yer undersea kingdom!"

Frowning, she turned back to the body that had obviously been thrown overboard. _So, she couldn't just help him to the surface and get him back to his ship. If she truly wanted to help him…._

She blinked as he made one last attempt to make it to the surface, his body spasming more than actually swimming. He threw back his head, and for a moment, his eyes met hers.

She blinked.

Even underwater, they were the most lovely shade of green she'd ever seen. Framed by blond hair… he looked like sunlight.

Marinette loved sunlight.

Decision made, she swam up to him and pulled him to her. Cupping his face, she fastened her lips onto his and breathed air into his lungs. He clutched her like—well, like a dying man.

He tasted like cheese.

She wanted to laugh, but was more determined to get her new charge to safety first. She took firm hold of him and headed for shore, her tail and fins making much better progress than any human ever could.

* * *

Adrien was in heaven. He was sure of it. He'd been rescued from his watery grave by an angel, and now they were flying off to live in the heavens together—

His knee hit a rock. He jerked, crying out, and his head broke the surface. Instinctively, his lungs sucked in the fresh air. It was the most glorious thing in the world.

He felt something push him in the direction of the rock and suddenly realized he'd somehow made it to shore. Knees weak and shaking, he dragged himself up onto the beach, collapsing as soon as he was out of reach of the tide.

He just lay there for a moment, reveling in the ability to breathe—and the fact that he was alive—and _had he been hallucinating? He could've sworn there was an angel…._

"Are you gonna be all right?" a voice asked.

He laughed, and looked over to where it came from. "I am now, mi—AHHHHH!" he screamed, scrambling to get further away from the water. There, swimming right next to him, was a—a—"You're a mermaid!" he screeched.

The mermaid gave him a droll stare. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

He froze at her dry tone. He didn't know mermaids could have such a… a sense of humor? Weren't they supposed to be monsters? Shouldn't she be trying to lure him underwater?

"Are—Are you gonna eat me?" he asked, unable to stop cringing at the sight of her red tail behind her, dripping water.

She gave a short laugh, covering her mouth to hide a smile.

"No," she assured him. "You're far too skinny for me."

"I beg your pardon?" Adrien asked, his pride rearing its head at her teasing tone. "I'll have you know I have been told I'm one of the most handsome men in the Seven Kingdoms!"

To his dismay, she laughed again, cocking her head at him curiously.

"Are you trying to _convince_ me to eat you?" she asked, grinning.

"N-no!" Adrien said quickly. "It's just—I just—" He paused, taking in her teasing tone and easy manner. She certainly didn't look like the sea monster from his storybooks. "You… don't eat men?"

She shook her head at him, still grinning.

Adrien wet his lips, his curiosity piqued.

"So, you eat… fish?"

She looked disgusted. "Fish are friends. Not food."

"Then… what do you like to eat?"

"Hmm, I love bread," she said with a happy sigh.

Adrien stared at her, dumbfounded, as his mind took him back to the time he'd visited a koi pond with his mother. The way all those spotted fish had fought for the tiny pieces of bread he'd tossed in for them….

"You have spots," he realized.

The mermaid blinked at him and looked back at her tail, which did indeed have black speckles all over its deep-red color. "Yeah, so?"

"Are you a koi mermaid?"

"Uh, no?" she said, obviously confused. "You're a very strange human, did you know that?"

"Well, you're a strange mermaid!" Adrien shot back.

She looked amused again. "And just how many mermaids have you met?" she asked slyly.

He scowled and looked away. "Counting today… one."

"Quite the expert then, aren't you," she said drolly. Then she nodded behind him. "There's a road back there that leads to the city. I'm sure you can find help there." She turned, looking like she was going to head back out to sea.

"Wait!" Adrien cried. "Did you—Are you the one who saved me? What's your name?"

She opened her mouth to answer him, then hesitated, looking away. Her gaze fell on her tail.

"I'm—Ladybug," she said.

It was Adrien's turn to give her a droll stare. "Ladybug," he repeated. "A fish who's a bug?"

"I am not a _fish_!" she exclaimed, sounding scandalized and splashing a bit of water at him.

"But you can't even give me your real name? Sounds fishy."

Her mouth twisted as she tried to fight a smile at his joke. Adrien mentally cheered.

"It's complicated," she finally said. "If anyone asks, just tell them you were saved by Lady Luck!"

With that, she dove into the waves before Adrien could get another word out. He stood up, watching her disappear.

"Saved by a mermaid," he said quietly to himself, turning towards the road. "And a ladybug to boot. Maybe my luck's beginning to turn."

He set off on his journey.

* * *

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

_(AU YEAH AUgust - 12 - Royalty)_

* * *

 **Of Sun and Sea **

**Part 2**

Adrien trudged up the road. He was bone-tired, stiff (even his clothes were stiff!), and really, _really_ thirsty. When the capital city had come into view, he'd cheered, not realizing how far away it actually was.

Now, even though he could see it, he wasn't sure he'd make it that far.

 _And even if I did, what would I do?_ he wondered. _Try to make it into the palace, with nothing but my word that I'm the prince they were expecting?_

 _They'd laugh at me and toss me on the street._

 _But really, would that be so bad?_ He stopped, staring at the castle that, while admittedly closer, still seemed so far away.

 _This could be a chance,_ he realized. _No spoiled princess to marry. No being shut up in a palace all day._ He was technically a dead man. He could be whoever he wanted to be! Go on adventures! Meet people from all walks of life!

This could be AMAZING!

 _No more palace life for me!_ he thought with glee. _I'll stop at the very next inn or tavern, and from there, I'll start my new life!_

* * *

Being a peasant _sucked_ , Adrien realized. He was _still_ tired, _still_ stiff, and now his arms and legs hurt from all the labor Madam Mendeleiev was having him do to pay for his room and board.

At least she'd given him something to drink when he'd passed out the first time.

He sighed, and resumed scrubbing the pot he'd been given, trying to ignore his grumbling stomach. At least it was quieter in the kitchen. He hadn't realized taverns were so… loud. Or rough. He'd already lost all of his jewelry _and his coat_ to a bunch of ruffians whom nobody had tried to stop. Not even Madam Mendeleiev. She'd simply sent him to the kitchen when he'd complained.

If he was going to disturb her customers, he could scrub pots instead of waiting tables.

 _So rude._

"Here!" the madam barked, shoving a bowl of stew at Adrien. Adrien blinked at it in disbelief. Not only did it not look or smell appetizing in the least, but…

"I've been working for you all day," he whined. "Don't I get any more than this?"

"You'll take what you're given and be grateful!" she snapped at him, already leaving to go back to the main room.

The cook, Ivan, gave him a sympathetic look. "Here," he said, handing him a roll of bread. "I'll tell the madam it fell on the floor."

"Thank you," Adrien said, truly grateful.

Ivan indicated the back door. "Better take it outside to eat, so she doesn't see you."

Adrien obeyed, happy to be out of the noisy building. He sighed as he sat down on an overturned crate. The sun was already setting. This was not what he'd been thinking of when he'd wanted to go on adventures as a free man.

He smiled down at his roll.

" _I love bread,"_ the mermaid had sighed dreamily. He broke off a piece and popped it in his mouth.

"I can definitely relate," he murmured, chewing slowly to make it last. It was no freshly-baked croissant, but after the day he'd had….

"Excuse me, sir," a frail voice called. Adrien looked over to see an old man limping down the path. He was tiny, and looked like he hadn't eaten in days. His cane was pretty much the only thing holding him up. "Do you have a bit to spare for an old man?"

Adrien wanted to say no. He really did. He hadn't eaten all day, and this tiny bowl of soup and stolen bit of bread were probably all he was going to get until tomorrow night! As someone who was used to three meals a day—his stomach growled angrily.

Still, the old man looked like he needed it more. Adrien sighed and got up, offering him a place to sit and all of his food. Then, he had to look away as the old man practically inhaled the meal.

 _I'll be fine,_ he told himself. _I'm lucky to even be alive right now._ The thought of his mermaid's smile invaded his thoughts and he relaxed again.

"Thank you, young man," the old beggar said. "But, if you don't mind my saying, you don't look like you're from these parts."

"My home's… kinda far away," Adrien admitted, looking down at what remained of his finely-made clothing.

"Aren't they missing you?"

Adrien paused. He hadn't really thought much about it. His father would be furious, of course, and would probably hunt the treacherous captain to the ends of the earth, but he had no idea what his prospective in-laws would do or say once they heard what had happened.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I doubt anyone will miss me for long." His waiting princess would surely find another prince to marry. His father had another son.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," the old man scolded. "You're a rare gem, you are. Just look what you've done for an old stranger. The people who used to be in your life are surely much poorer without you there. Shouldn't you at least check on them?"

"Maybe," Adrien said, blushing lightly at the man's praise.

"Here," the old man said, reaching for something in his robes. He grabbed Adrien's hand and dropped a small object into his palm. Adrien blinked. It was a ring. Simple, silver, no jewels or embellishments.

"You take this," the old man said. "And you remember; no matter where you decide to go in life, you never forget where you came from. Your life is uniquely yours, and you're the only one who can decide what to do with it. But it's yours, so live it to the fullest! There are things you can do that others cannot! So, you get out there and do what you can!"

With that, the old man limped away before Adrien could insist he didn't need the ring. He sighed, and slipped it on his finger. What a crazy old man. Hadn't made much sense.

Still… he looked up.

Even from here, he could see the lights from the castle shining in the darkness. He should at least go see how they had taken his disappearance.

"ADRIEEEEN!" he heard Madam Mendeleiev screech. "Where is that boy? I have another pot for him to scrub! And if he doesn't get it done quick, he'll sleep in the stable instead of the floor!"

Adrien sighed. _Welp, that decided it. He certainly didn't want to stick around here anymore!_

* * *

"But I'm telling you, I'm the prince! Prince Adrien! I was due here yesterday!" he insisted the next day. As expected, the guards laughed at him and refused to let him inside. Still, Adrien was stubborn. And now that he'd come all this way, he wanted to at least _glimpse_ the life he might've had.

"I was thrown overboard by my mutinous captain," he insisted. "And then I was saved by a mermaid! She called herself Lady Luck!"

To his surprise, the guards stopped laughing, looking down at him seriously.

"Lady Luck saved you, you say?" one of them said. He looked Adrien up and down, as if seeing him in a new light. "Did she give you any other name?"

"La—Ladybug," Adrien stuttered, surprised at their sudden about-face.

The two guards looked at each other and nodded.

"Come with me, sir," the first one said, opening the gate and heading inside the castle.

Adrien trotted to keep up with him. "Wait, you—you believe me?" he asked incredulously.

"Aye, sir. You're not the first to be saved by our Lady Luck," the guard grinned. "And likely not the last either. In here."

He led Adrien into the palace proper, down hallways and stairs until they came to a wing of the castle overlooking the bay. Adrien stared out the window as the guard knocked on a door.

Just yesterday, he'd almost drowned in those waters. It was completely unfair that they look so beautiful today.

"Begging your pardon, princess, but I believe I found the man you told us about," the guard said behind him.

 _Princess?_ Adrien whirled around in alarm. _He wasn't ready to meet the—!_

"LADYBUG?!" he exclaimed, staring at the girl in front of him. She was dressed in a fluffy, pink tulle dress instead of red fins and flippers, but he would never forget that smile! That midnight hair! Those bright blue eyes!

"Ah, so it _was_ you," the princess said, smiling at him. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure at the time. I have to be careful around dangerous men, you know!" She winked at him playfully. "Nice to meet you. I'm Marinette."

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_(AU YEAH August - 13 - Fake Dating)_

* * *

 **Of Sun and Sea **

**Part Three**

"So, does your dad know you're a mermaid?"

Marinette— _Princess_ Marinette—snorted in laughter. "Since he had to sign a marriage contract with the Sea King to marry my mother, yeah," she said drolly.

"You know, for a mermaid, you've got a pretty dry sense of humor."

She rolled her eyes at him, then continued rifling through a large chest of clothes, looking for a change. She'd taken one look at him standing outside her door, and decided he was in no condition to meet her father. "Here," she said, tossing him an undershirt.

Adrien took it, marveling for a second at its quality. It was certainly better than what he was currently wearing, especially since it wasn't stiff from the sea water of yesterday's adventure.

"Should I be worried that you have men's clothing in your room?" he asked jokingly. She made a face at him and tossed him some pants as well.

"Making clothes is a hobby of mine," she explained, bringing over a gorgeous green vest with gold and black trim. She held it against him, measuring for a moment, before nodding and handing it to him. Adrien gaped at the fine material. His father would be so jealous!

"Once I get your measurements, I can make you something even better."

"This-this is beautiful," Adrien murmured, tracing gold threads. Unless he was mistaken, the cut of the fabric and the emphasis of the lines would make his shoulders appear broader and his waist small, maybe even making him look taller! And the color would accentuate his eyes. He'd certainly be able to keep his head high wearing this! "You're really talented, princess!"

Marinette blushed and waved him to a corner that was obviously her dressing area, complete with divider for privacy. "Just go get changed," she said, turning away. "We need to go meet with my father and tell him what happened."

Adrien obeyed.

"So, when you're not swimming around in the ocean and saving hapless men from drowning, you make clothes?" he quipped, trying to put her at ease with more conversation while he changed.

"It's relaxing."

He gave a little laugh of his own. "Seriously? My father's tailors always looked nervous and on-edge whenever I saw them."

"Hmm," she said, obviously thinking about something. "Does your father yell at them? Threaten them? Tell them they were worthless?"

Adrien blinked as he pulled his new shirt on. _Every time, actually. Huh, he'd never really thought about it until now. Father had certainly never complemented their work. It was either "acceptable" or not._

"When did you meet my father, princess?" he joked.

"Never," she said seriously. "And I probably never will. But we heard enough from our spies to figure out what kind of man King Gabriel was."

Adrien finished dressing and stepped out. "You spied on us?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Marinette gave him another dry stare. "My father wasn't going to marry off his only daughter to someone we knew nothing about."

Adrien had to give her that. His father had probably spied on her family as well.

She stepped up to him and adjusted his vest, so it sat better on his shoulders. "It's why we didn't put in a bid for your older brother," she said, avoiding his eyes. "While he's not as bad as your father, I'd heard that he could be a bit… disagreeable at times."

"Felix isn't—!" Adrien paused, because yes, his brother could be a bit of a jerk when he felt like it. "That's why you wanted me?" he asked glumly. "Because I'm someone who's _nice_? Someone who'll let you walk all over me all the time? _That's_ what you want?"

"Honestly?" she gave a little giggle and looked up at him again, eyes shining. "I didn't think your father would agree to it in the first place! Especially not when I insisted we live here instead of your country. I thought making a choice would get my father off my back about marrying. And then, when mean-ol'-King-Gabriel came back with a 'no,' I could go back to my swimming and sewing. _You_ were supposedly the Golden Child. The Apple of his Eye. The prince whom Gabriel had locked in his palace, never to share with the rest of the world."

Adrien found himself gaping at her again. _It was true, all of it. He'd been locked up all his life. It was why he hadn't complained when his father had announced his engagement to a princess he'd never even seen before. He'd been so happy to just get out of the palace…._

"But, now that you're here, I'm going to have to change my plans somewhat," Marinette added.

"Please don't send me back," Adrien pleaded instantly.

She blinked at him, a bit startled. Then her face softened and she smiled.

"No, I'm not going to send you back, Adrien. Then Papa will just try to find me another prince to marry. I certainly don't want that," she shuddered.

"What _do_ you want?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I want to see the world and have adventures," she said, her smile growing. "I don't want to be some shut-in princess in a tower. Even with my hobbies and patrolling the bay, it gets _boring_."

He laughed, surprise and delight flooding through him. "I gotta warn you, the peasant life is not all it's cracked up to be."

"Only if you do it without a plan," Marinette countered, playfully tweaking him on the nose. She gestured to the ring on his hand. "Master Fu told me about your misadventures at the inn."

"Master Fu?" Adrien asked, bewildered. The princess's eyes sparkled with laughter.

"The old begger man. He's actually a powerful sea god who works for my grandfather, the Sea King. He likes to do tests on potential champions to see if they have what it takes to become a 'hero for the good of the kingdom.'"

Adrien stared her for a second before holding his hand up to look at the ring again. "And I… passed?"

"According to him, even when you were at your lowest and had nothing to gain from it, you were still unerringly-kind and courteous to all," she nodded at him appreciatively. "High praise, especially from him. I'm willing to bet that ring he gave you is no ordinary ring either, but I didn't get the details on that."

Someone rapped on the door and Marinette quickly stepped away from him. Adrien blushed when he realized just how close they'd been. He certainly hadn't minded at all!

"Yes?" the princess asked, opening the door.

"The group you asked about just made it into the Great Hall. They've been asking for an audience with your father."

"Delightful," Marinette grinned. Adrien was suddenly reminded of his old stories where mermaids ate people. "We'll be right down, but don't introduce us. And send for some more guards and the prison warden."

"Yes, ma'am!" the guard said, also grinning. He set off to do her bidding at a quick pace. Marinette motioned for Adrien to follow her and took his arm as soon as he stepped into the hall.

"Err, should I be worried?" he asked, wondering what plans she had in store for him now. They headed down the hall.

"Of course not," she assured him. "Just remember to smile."

"Smile?"

"Yes, because we're dating and madly in love."

Adrien sputtered a bit. "Wh-what? But we're already engaged! And we just met!"

" _They_ don't know that. The first thing they'll try to say is that you're a fake. So, if I've already met you before all this and I ' _would know my prince anywhere,_ '" she battled her eyelashes at him, gazing up at him adoringly, "then, not only will their story not stick, but my father will catch on to what really happened without me having to reveal myself as a mermaid to the whole court. Plenty of people know unofficially, but nobody actually says anything, to keep my mother and me safe."

He pondered her words for a moment. Her reasoning was solid, but still….

"They? Who's 'they?' Who are you trying to trick?" he asked, just as they made it to the Great Hall. She nodded towards the large throne in the middle of the far wall.

There, in front of the king, was a familiar group weaving a loud story of how the prince they were supposed to bring here had suddenly flung himself into the ocean, how they'd tried their hardest to find him, how the captain himself had dove in after the poor boy, but there was just no saving him, boo hoo hoo…. But could they please keep the prince's belongings as payment for their journey, since evil King Gabriel certainly wouldn't pay them and would probably have them hanged if they tried to go back to their own country? Oh, woe is them, to have to start off fresh in a new country and nothing to show for all their gallant efforts….

"Oh, my sweet, sweet, savage Ladybug," Adrien whispered, bringing Marinette's hand up to his mouth to kiss. "You are ruthless."

Marinette giggled. "Careful, now, my unlucky prince. I've been told I might eat you."

Adrien fought his own laughter down. "But, my lady, I'm not made of bread!"

The princess's whole body shook with suppressed laughter and she had to compose herself before gesturing to the herald.

"Ready for the show?" she asked, curling her arm around his own a bit more than necessary, and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Personally, Adrien didn't think there was any need for a show. He was already madly in love with this girl who'd saved him, teased and joked with him, and offered him a life full of laughter and adventures. His heart was racing just being in her presence. But he was also determined to follow her lead, wherever that would take them. So, he nodded, and allowed his face to wear the dopiest I-am-so-in-love-with-the-girl-next-to-me smile as they stepped into the Great Hall properly.

" _Announcing Princess Marinette and Prince Adrien Agreste!"_

* * *

 _End._


End file.
